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| The article linked below was written by Matt Matthews and Kip Lindberg and was published in the North and South Magazine in 2003. Given the extensive documentation use for this article, we believe it to be the most comprehensive and accurate account of the battle to date. ENJOY!! BATTLE OF LONE JACK |
| Lone Jack Historical Society |
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Lone Jack was situated on a crossroads of two of the first roads to traverse the county. One
ran from Lexington, Missouri to Harrisonville, Missouri and the other ran from
Warrensburg, Missouri to Westport Landing. The site was instrumental in bringing settlers
to the new town. Abundant water and forests made the area grow in population. The town
was on the edge of the great prairie and wagon trains of pioneers used the area as a rest stop
on their way further west. Prior to the War there were six blacksmiths, four doctors, livery
stables, at least two general stores, a drug store, several mills, churches and countless other
businesses. Stage coaches traveled the routes and several hotels were built to house these
travelers.
As the years passed, the town continued to grow by leaps and bounds. New settlers arrived
and new businesses began to pop up. The community was thriving and then the
unthinkable happened and the country was thrown into the chaos of a war within it's own
borders. At this time the population of the town was reportedly 1,300.
On August 16th, 1862, the Civil War, with all its fury, descended on the people of Lone
Jack. It was here that the bloodiest battle fought on Missouri soil took place. But for a twist
of fate, it would not have happened at all. In the aftermath, thirteen homes and businesses
lay in ashes and over 200 men lay dead, dying, or wounded. The citizens of Lone Jack were
not without their own sorrow for some of those who died were boys from their community
for the Southern recruiters had been in the area in the days prior to the battle. But perhaps
the most sorrowful event of all was the death of a young mother, Lucinda Cave.
Lucinda, along with her husband Bart Cave, ran the Cave Hotel, which Major Emory Foster
commandeered as a Federal command post the night before the battle. When the Hotel was
set afire, she and her family were forced to evacuate. She was wounded by a stray bullet as
she raised herself, from among the weeds where they took refuge, to tend to her infant. She
died on September 23, 1862 and was laid to rest in the town cemetery just east of town.
The border trouble with Kansas, the Civil War, the Battle itself, and General Order #11
took its toll and the decline of the town the early settlers had worked so hard to establish and
make prosper, began.
Today the town of Lone Jack is again a growing community, the countryside is dotted with
new homes, new families, and a renewed interest in the vivid and sometimes sordid history
of this area.
ran from Lexington, Missouri to Harrisonville, Missouri and the other ran from
Warrensburg, Missouri to Westport Landing. The site was instrumental in bringing settlers
to the new town. Abundant water and forests made the area grow in population. The town
was on the edge of the great prairie and wagon trains of pioneers used the area as a rest stop
on their way further west. Prior to the War there were six blacksmiths, four doctors, livery
stables, at least two general stores, a drug store, several mills, churches and countless other
businesses. Stage coaches traveled the routes and several hotels were built to house these
travelers.
As the years passed, the town continued to grow by leaps and bounds. New settlers arrived
and new businesses began to pop up. The community was thriving and then the
unthinkable happened and the country was thrown into the chaos of a war within it's own
borders. At this time the population of the town was reportedly 1,300.
On August 16th, 1862, the Civil War, with all its fury, descended on the people of Lone
Jack. It was here that the bloodiest battle fought on Missouri soil took place. But for a twist
of fate, it would not have happened at all. In the aftermath, thirteen homes and businesses
lay in ashes and over 200 men lay dead, dying, or wounded. The citizens of Lone Jack were
not without their own sorrow for some of those who died were boys from their community
for the Southern recruiters had been in the area in the days prior to the battle. But perhaps
the most sorrowful event of all was the death of a young mother, Lucinda Cave.
Lucinda, along with her husband Bart Cave, ran the Cave Hotel, which Major Emory Foster
commandeered as a Federal command post the night before the battle. When the Hotel was
set afire, she and her family were forced to evacuate. She was wounded by a stray bullet as
she raised herself, from among the weeds where they took refuge, to tend to her infant. She
died on September 23, 1862 and was laid to rest in the town cemetery just east of town.
The border trouble with Kansas, the Civil War, the Battle itself, and General Order #11
took its toll and the decline of the town the early settlers had worked so hard to establish and
make prosper, began.
Today the town of Lone Jack is again a growing community, the countryside is dotted with
new homes, new families, and a renewed interest in the vivid and sometimes sordid history
of this area.
| Lone Jack Historical Society P.O Box 34 Lone Jack, MO 64070 Alinda M. Miller, President, Webmaster (816) 805-1815 John Sitter, Vice-President (816) 419-5305 |
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